Rochester's Lauryn Williams Going For Olympic Gold, But Dad May Have To Stay Home

POSTED: 5:43 pm EDT July 15, 2008

UPDATED: 1:07 pm EDT July 18, 2008

ROCHESTER, Pa. -- Lauryn Williams won an Olympic silver medal in Athens -- and now, she's going for gold in Beijing.

The young Beaver County native's father, David, wants to cheer his daughter on in China, but that may not be possible because he requires expensive kidney dialysis treatments.

"I'm a Vietnam veteran, and I have leukemia from that, so I had kidney failure eight years ago," David Williams told Channel 4 Action Sports anchor Jon Burton. "I've been on dialysis. I need a kidney. All of this compounds the difficulty of getting back and forth."

After a legendary track career at Rochester High School, Lauryn Williams moved on to the University of Miami. Now, she spends her days in the hot South Florida sun, training for the Summer Olympics that will be held in August.

"He's pretty die-hard. He's planning on being in Beijing," Lauryn Williams told WTAE's sister station in Miami. "I'm trying to convince him slowly but surely to stay home, and let's play it safe than sorry, as opposed to how it played out in Greece, but he's not going to have it. I think he'd rather see me and drop dead in the process than miss it, so if his life depends on it, he's going to be there."

Lauryn Williams was a silver medalist in the 100 meters in the 2004 Summer Olympics. This time, many consider her to be a favorite for gold.

David Williams is trying to make arrangements to have his dialysis done at the University of Beijing while his daughter competes in the Olympics. But his funds are limited, and he's not sure he'll be able to afford to watch his daughter go for the gold.

"It's around $500 to $600 a night for a hotel room, and a flight is close to $1,100," he said.

Still, father and daughter agree that she would benefit from him being there.

"Lauryn has always performed better when I'm there," David Williams said. "I don't know if it's the yelling or the screaming that I do."

"I think the major thing is that he showed me never quit, never give up," Lauryn Williams said. "Late nights, early mornings, and pushing that extra mile when he wasn't feeling so well to get me somewhere. That pushes me the extra mile here on the track."

If David Williams can't be at the Olympics in person, he will certainly be there in spirit -- and he has a message for his track star daughter.

"I know that you have the ability," he said. "You've already done great things, and what I'd like to see you do is go out to China, get the gold and just stop everybody and everything that was ever said about you. Turn it around and show them that you are a professional track star and a professional athlete, and a woman that does the best at whatever you do. Go get 'em, baby."

End Time Ministries has set up a fundraiser for tax-deductible donations to help send David Williams to China. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 54, Rochester, Pa. 15074.

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